Property Record
3401 W WISCONSIN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Marquette University High School |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 113794 |
| Location (Address): | 3401 W WISCONSIN AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Year Built: | 1924 |
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| Additions: | 1960 2015 |
| Survey Date: | 19832014 |
| Historic Use: | elementary, middle, jr.high, or high |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Herbst & Kuenzli; Brust & Brust |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Paul Riesen & Sons was the builder. This structure is a fine example of high schools constructed during the 1920s as designed in the Collegiate Gothic. Of note to the facade is the use of buttressing elements and the castellated parapet and tower. 2014- "Marquette University High School is a private boy’s school constructed in the Collegiate Gothic style in 1924 and designed by the local architecture firm Herbst & Kuenzli. It is a large, three-story, brick building resting on a raised foundation. It has a flat roof with a castellated parapet. Ornamentation, such as window surrounds, buttresses, and castellations, are primarily of cream terra cotta. Narrow brick buttresses topped with terra cotta capstones are spaced relatively evenly across the facade. Two large towers, one with a castellated parapet and the other with pinnacles along the roofline, house the main entrances on the primary (north) facade. The central entrance has a circular arch with a terra cotta door surround. Above the doorway a plaque reads “MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL.” Windows are replacements of various sizes, in multi-part configurations, and frequently grouped in ribbons. On the east side of the building is a two-story Modern addition designed by Brust & Brust constructed in 1960. It is of brick construction with a flat roof. The facade is primarily composed of windows grouped in fours with geometric concrete design between the two stories. The side elevations are clad in cream brick that is compatible with the historic portion of the building. The school occupies a full city block. On the east side of the building is a large paved parking lot. On the west side of the building is a practice football field. As recently as 2012 two apartment buildings occupied the eastern part of the block, but have since been demolished. Marquette University High School was originally established as a part of Marquette University in 1881 by the Catholic Jesuit Order. Prior to 1902 Jesuit education was a seven-year course of study traditionally beginning after eighth grade. In 1902 the curriculum was changed to be comparable with secular school timelines, with a divide between high school and college. When Marquette University moved to its current location along West Wisconsin Avenue in 1907, Marquette University High School followed, and was installed in its own building for the first time. A new school (the subject building) was constructed about a mile west of the university in 1924. In 1950 the high school and the university officially became separate entities." -"W Wisconsin Ave, 20th St-35th St", WisDOT #2190-00-00, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc. (2014). |
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| Bibliographic References: | Permit. 2014 (1) City of Milwaukee, Department of City Development, "West Side Neighborhood Historic Resources Survey," Prepared for the City of Milwaukee (September 1984) 6-12. Original plans on file at the Wisconsin Architectural Archive; dated 1 August 1924; rev. 30 April 1925. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |